In the next two editions of the K news we will focus on surrogate muscle response testing. In this issue we talk about Dr. Anne’s published research on muscle response testing, surrogate muscle testing and we will discuss the plans for future clinical research to assess the accuracy of surrogate muscle testing. In the next issue we want to get into more detail of these studies and respond to your questions and comments.
Dr. Anne Jensen, is a clinical researcher and a published author on emotional healing and stress reduction. She holds a DPhil (PhD) in Evidence-based Health Care through the University of Oxford in the UK. Anne started as a chiropractor, graduating in New York. Since then she has obtained various studies in clinical psychology, evidence based practice and of course integrated muscle testing. Anne has conducted and published clinical research to determine the accuracy and precision of muscle response testing ( Paper: Estimating the accuracy of muscle response testing: two randomized-order blinded studies, Paper: Estimating the prevalence of use of kinesiology-style manual muscle testing: A survey of educators has studied the ideomotor effect ( Paper: Emerging from the Mystical: Rethinking Muscle Response Testing as an Ideomotor Effect ) and she has also developed her own application of muscle response testing called “HeartSpeak,” with the understanding and use of feelings in a purposeful way (heartspeak.com/). Anne teaches, gives talks, and has her own practice where she has helped people overcome health issues.
Q: Anne, can you please give us a brief outline of your work in the field of muscle response testing (MRT)?
I started out as a chiropractor, and found that my clients were getting quite good responses. However, once I started to integrate muscle response testing into my assessment, the clients had a much better response. Once I saw the value of MRT, I wanted to know more about it, and this led me to develop HeartSpeak and to further my studies in Oxford.
Q: What are your thoughts on how the profession should be termed?
I would be happy if we were called ‘naturopaths’. Muscle response testing, or indicator muscle testing, where we are looking for where stress lies within muscles, and where this stress originates from is a tool that we use. We use this test to identify whether the person has an allergy, or is deficient in a vitamin, or for a whole array of issues. We need to be aware of what we are testing and what we are testing for. Then we are able to respond with advice that can give our clients a good result.
Q: What is surrogate testing in the context of kinesiology or muscle response testing?
Surrogate muscle testing is using someone else’s muscle to test a patient.
Q: When did you first start using surrogate testing? And in what situations can they be used?
I have been using surrogate muscle testing for a long time. I have used surrogates (a third individual) or myself to test people who are unable to be tested themselves – because they cannot move or are in comas, young children, babies still in the uterus, pets, horses…it can be used in any situation where the subject themselves are not able to be tested directly. I do not need to be in the same room as the person. Surrogate testing can be done via internet, and at a distance.
Q: How does it work? What do we know about how it works?
As with MRT, we do not know how this works, yet we know that it does. Certainly we need more research into this area.
Q: How do you intend to validate surrogate testing through your next research?
I have three different study designs in mind. It will require three groups of persons for each study – the patient, the surrogate and the practitioner. The first study will involve using true and false statements, as with my previous studies, but where only the patient will for example see images of certain objects, but the surrogate and practitioner will be blinded. So the surrogate will be tested on whether the statement is true or false based on what the patient sees. The second study will involve the surrogate speaking – they will be given an earpiece, and told what to say with regards to the image the patient is viewing. The patient in this scenario will be looking at the images in a separate room. Then the surrogate will be tested to see whether it is true or false. I also intend to carry out another study to evaluate the accuracy of self-testing. In order to overcome ‘blinding’ the participant, sound will be used. We will work with an audiologist who will determine the subjects hearing threshold. You can then use above or below thresholds or no tone, and this will be randomly generated by a computer. We have tested this system before, with success.
These different studies will be used to assess the accuracy of surrogate testing, and to see how much bias can be introduced consciously and non-consciously, and this is really exciting.
Q: You have set up a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/muscletesting)… in what way do you think this will contribute to how kniesiologists will work in the future?
All of these studies can be time and resource consuming. At the moment I am trying to find an ethics board that will approve the study, and this alone can be costly. It can also be very difficult to obtain given the subject matter. Once I have an ethical board approval, we can start the studies, work with a statistician to analyse the results and then publish them.
I think it is really important for the kinesiology or muscle testing community to generate scientific data that demonstrates the accuracy, efficacy and value of our work. If we could all share our findings and experience, through Knowlative for example, we could be so much stronger and so much better understood in the work we carry out. We ourselves would know more too! For sure, the more that I have learnt, the more I want to learn.
Q: How would you see muscle response testing becoming integrated into health care systems (like the NHS) in the future? Do you think these studies will help for this to be achieved?
I think it would be great for patients, and save the NHS so much money if muscle response testing was integrated into healthcare. Sadly, we are probably a long way from that at the moment. It would be great if we can generate enough clinical and scientific evidence to advocate for this in the future.
